“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.” (Ps. 1:2 NKJV) The godly person delights (finds pleasure) in the law of the LORD. The apostle John reminds us that God’s commandments are not burdensome (1 Jn. 5:3). It is a great blessing to be a child of God and to obey His commands! We should derive pleasure, joy, and happiness every day as we peruse and apply the Scriptures. We have all had a good meal before, but something else must take place for the full benefit to our bodies: digestion. So it is spiritually. We eat and drink by reading and study of the Word, and we digest the Word with meditation. We must ponder upon what God is telling us. Meditation will result in respecting God’s ways (Ps. 119:15-16). Meditation will result in talking about God (Ps. 77:12). Meditation will result in remembering all that God has done (Ps. 143:5), just to name a few! Can you find more? How often should we meditate? The Psalmist said, “day and night.” God instructed Joshua to do the same following the death of Moses (Jos. 1:8). Considering what Joshua was getting ready to do (take the promised land), can we afford to do anything less as we march toward Heaven? If we are to meditate day and night, then that implies we are to be reading and studying the Word as frequently! Two reading trees (one for the Old Testament and one for the New Testament) have been planted on the wall by the nursery to encourage us to read our Bibles. Please contribute to the beauty of these trees by reading the blessed Word of God and filling out a leaf for each book of the Bible you read. What a delight it is to read, study, meditate, and apply the Scriptures to our lives! Trent Thrasher
“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;” (Ps. 1:1 NKJV) How happy and joyful it is to abstain from wickedness! Our counsel must come from God and certainly not from the ungodly who are against God (Pr. 1:5, 2:6, 19:21, 21:30). Do not consent to their wicked ways (Pr. 1:10, 14:12). We do not maintain ourselves in the way of sinners for that way leads only to death (Pr. 14:12). We should avoid that path altogether and stand on the path of the just (Pr. 4:14-19). Even when peer pressure is present, do not follow a crowd to do evil (Ex. 23:2). Do not give in to wickedness and dwell with the mockers. God is not mocked and what we show we will reap (Gal. 6:7-8). A regress of events is seen in this first verse of the first Psalm from "walks", to "stands", to "sits" as it relates to ungodliness. This is how sin takes us backwards from God and why it must be dealt with swiftly. Let us determine in our hearts to walk after the Spirit and His teachings (Rm. 8:4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pt. 1:20-21; 1 Cor. 2:10-13), to stand for Jesus and against the devil (Eph. 6:10-18), and to sit at the feet of Jesus to hear His Word (Lk. 10:39)! My family is truly blessed to be a part of this congregation of the Lord’s people and look forward to another great year of laboring together! Happy New Year from the Thrashers. Trent Thrasher
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Mt. 13:44) Joy is comparable to gladness, cheer, and delight. Different sources of joy are available but three in particular catch our attention: Jesus, His church, and Heaven. When Jesus arrived, the wise men had “exceedingly great joy” (Mt. 2:1-11). This great joy was announced by the angel of the Lord to the shepherds at the birth of Christ (Lk. 2:8-20). Though sorrow would accompany the crucifixion of Jesus, joy was soon to come by His resurrection and ascension (Jn. 16:20-24; Mt. 28:1-8; Lk. 24:50-53). Not long after Christ’s ascension, His church was birthed on Earth (Acts 1-2). What cause for joy there is in finding the one, and only, church of Christ (Mt. 13:44; Eph. 1:22-23, 4:4)! The Ethiopian eunuch exemplified the joy of becoming a member of the Lord’s church (Acts 8:26-39). Such joy is an indicator of the joy that awaits the faithful. Christ endured the cross because He was looking forward to the joy that would follow (Heb. 12:1-2). We can look forward to that same joy because of what Christ did for everyone! That is not to say that everyone will have that joy because not everyone will obey Christ. The five and two talent servants were faithful to their lord and were able to enter into his joy (Mt. 25:14-23). The one talent servant was not faithful and was described as wicked, lazy, and unprofitable. There was no joy for him (Mt. 25:24-30). Christians should be the most joyful people there are. We have so much to be joyful about including Christ, his church, and a home with God in Heaven. Let us make our joy full (cf. 1 Jn. 1:1-4; 3 Jn. 4)! Trent Thrasher
“15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Pt. 1:15-16) Holy, holy, holy is the refrain of the seraphim in Isaiah 6:3 with regard to the God of Heaven. Holiness describes being set apart from the common or profane (cf. Ezek. 22:26). God is above all and is to be given the utmost reverence for holy is His very name (Ps. 111:9). The second person of the Godhead, the only begotten Son of God, is holy (Lk. 1:35, 2:23; Acts 3:14, 4:27). The third person of the Godhead is called the Holy Spirit (Mt. 1:18; Acts 5:3-4). God requires that each of us be holy because He is holy. Each member of the church is part of the holy priesthood. This shows the responsibility we have to offer acceptable sacrifices to God (1 Pt. 2:5). Tragedy comes to those who do not (cf. Lev. 10). We are a holy nation that has been called out of the world of wickedness (1 Pt. 2:9). Tragedy comes to those who go back to the pigpen of sin (cf. 2 Pt. 2:20-22). We are those that dedicate our hearts to God making sure He controls all in our lives (1 Pt. 3:15). Tragedy comes when God is rejected from His rightful position (cf. Rm. 1:20-32). The material world that captures so much attention and time is temporary (2 Cor. 4:18). It will be burned up when Christ returns (2 Pt. 3:10). What is our reaction? We practice holy living, we keep our eyes on the goal, and we keep on growing (2 Pt. 3:11-18). God is holy and so must we be! Trent Thrasher
“You are good, and do good; Teach me Your statutes.” (Ps. 119:68) The Psalmist stated the fact that God is good or benevolent. Indeed, good is who God is (Ps. 25:8). During the creation, God saw that His creation was good (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). After God created man, He saw everything that He made was very good (Gen. 1:31). When Moses wished to see God’s glory, God told him that He would make all His goodness pass before him (Ex. 33:18-19) and He did (Ex. 34:5-8). Every good and perfect gift comes from the All-Benevolent One (Jm. 1:17). God’s goodness blesses us materially (Mt. 5:45; Acts 14:17). God’s goodness is seen in His good and perfect law which is for our benefit (Rm. 7:12; Jm. 1:25; Dt. 6:24; 1 Jn. 5:3). The gospel is itself good news centered on Christ and His kingdom (Rm. 10:15; 1 Cor. 15:1-8; Acts 8:5, 12). The fact that God gave us His Son is not only a reflection of His love but also His goodness (Jn. 3:13-17). God placed all spiritual blessings in His Son who is good (Eph. 1:3; Mt. 19:16-17). God’s goodness demands that we be good in a number of ways (Eph. 2:10; Gal. 6:10; Rm. 12:17-21; 3 Jn. 11). God’s goodness also demands that He hates and punishes wickedness (Ex. 34:7). We must also hate evil and love good (Am. 5:15). Do not forget that we are in spiritual warfare against the forces of evil (2 Cor. 10:3-6; Eph. 6:10-18). God is perfect in His goodness and if we listen to and love Him, all things will work together for good ultimately (Rm. 8:28). Trent Thrasher
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April 2024
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